Top Trending: Google Year in Search 2025

Google has published its latest Year in Search report, highlighting which topics captured the world’s attention in 2025. This year’s data shows that interest in artificial intelligence surged once again, with AI tools dominating the global rankings.

At the top of the list was Gemini, Google’s flagship AI assistant, which became the most rapidly rising search query worldwide. Its popularity reflected how quickly users had adopted AI-powered tools in their daily lives throughout the year.

DeepSeek, the Chinese AI model that gained international interest earlier in 2025, also made a strong appearance. It placed within the top ten trending searches globally and secured a spot in the United States ranking as well.

Google’s Year in Search does not measure overall search volume. Instead, it tracks the queries that experienced the most significant growth in search activity compared with the previous year. This method highlights rising trends rather than long-standing popular topics.

Alongside AI, the global list was filled with major sporting events. Cricket remained a dominant force, with searches for India’s matches against England and Australia appearing throughout the top ten.

Other international events, such as the Club World Cup and political developments in Iran, also featured prominently. Apple’s launch of the iPhone 17 made its way onto the list, continuing the tradition of high public interest in new technology releases.

In contrast, the United States’ trending searches looked quite different. American users focused more heavily on politics, entertainment, and domestic issues, with commentator Charlie Kirk taking the top position.

The US list also included a mix of cultural moments, such as the popularity of KPop Demon Hunters and the viral interest in Labubu. The iPhone 17 again appeared, alongside searches relating to new legislation and government policy.

Google also introduced a special “Trends” category in its US data this year, which revealed that AI-generated content had become a major area of curiosity. Searches for AI versions of toys, film characters, and social media memes surged throughout 2025.

Items such as “AI action figure”, “AI Barbie”, and “AI Polaroid” were among the most commonly searched in this category. These trends highlight how AI creativity and viral content shaped online culture over the past year.

One of the more unusual entries was “Ghibli”, which appears to relate to the wave of AI-generated images imitating Studio Ghibli’s iconic animation style. These creations were widely shared across social platforms, contributing to their rise in search interest.

When looking at news and major events, the global rankings reflected the year’s most widely covered crises, including the LA fires, Hurricane Melissa, and the ongoing debate over a TikTok ban. The selection of a new pope also generated significant search activity.

In the United States, domestic issues were more prominent. Searches about government shutdowns, new legislative proposals, and tariffs made up a large part of the US trends list for news topics.

Overall, Google’s data provides a useful snapshot of the interests and concerns that shaped public conversation in 2025. The dominance of AI tools in the global rankings is a clear sign of how deeply artificial intelligence has entered mainstream use.

For content creators, marketers, and journalists, studying these trends can help identify opportunities to update older content or create new material aligned with rising public interest.

Google’s full Year in Search breakdown is now available on its Trends website, offering deeper insight into how search behaviour evolved over the past year.